Move it or Lose it!

Let me preface this by saying I DID NOT start out doing one hour hard-core work outs. It doesn’t work that way. At the point my body was at when I began this battle for my health, I would be on the phone with my husband… walking up the stairs and he would ask, “Honey… are YOU ok??” as I gasped for air when I reached the top. Heavy breathing… he just KNEW I was being attacked.

NO.

I wasn’t ok.

I wasn’t in shape and I’m sure my heart was struggling to keep up with the excess fat I was carrying around on my smallish frame. My knees ached at night, my back hurt often, and I was SO tired.

Sure I had heard, “oh exercise gives you energy…. exercise will help your back…”

Buuuuuut what if I didn’t have the energy to START exercising? What if I was SO tired from working until the wee hours of the morning and schooling kids all day long. How was this going to happen?? Remember – God knew I was tired… I’m sure He understood.

That wasn’t the Truth. I knew it in my heart… but I proceeded to tell myself the lie because then, I wouldn’t have to change. I might not have been aware of that at first, but I can see it now… clear as day.

The experts are right – exercise does give you energy more, it helps your stress level, it helps me rest better, makes your back feel better, it’s good for your heart…. what was I waiting for??

So I started with walking tapes and DVDs, workouts with an exercise ball, and I eventually a friend turned me onto the “30 Day Shred” work out video, (circuit training) by Jillian Micheals. I figured if I could do each level for 30 days, instead of trying to complete it in 30 days, I would be making progress and… THAT would be better than doing nothing. It hurt though, and I think I started with 3 lb weights. The hopping, the weights, the movement… it wasn’t easy for me at the time and I didn’t always look forward to it at the end of the day – but I had my reasons for getting healthy – and posted it to remind me of my goals.

One of my favorite quotes she says is... "Think of all of the reasons you want to be fit and healthy...Think of THAT when you're hurting!"

I enjoy working out now because I love how I feel… I know in my heart that my body was made to move. I like knowing that I’m doing the best I can for my heart – physically and spiritually. My goal is always 30 minutes of some type of workout and I love to rotate them, but if I have time for an hour or so – I do that instead.

So tell me about your workouts – what fun stuff do you do? If you’re NOT moving… then find some things you like. If it’s not DVDs, do you like the accountability of a trainer or a gym? Do you prefer to be outside and exercise?

I liked to make excuses before on why *I* couldn’t exercise.

I think it was Danna Demetre that said – “all excuses are equal – they are equally worthless.”

Point taken.

This wasn’t about ME anymore. This was all about God. What could I do to serve Him in my body, this precious gift?

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:13

I LOVE to go on morning runs! It’s a great way to start your day. Focusing on Him and getting a little excercise too 🙂 I rotate running with DVD’s. I enjoy Jilian Michaels and Bob Harper workouts, especially when they mix it up with strength and cardio!!!

The 30 day shred was a great start for me. I was 8 weeks post partum when I started the shred. I was determined to get MOVING!! I knew my body was out of shape. It had to be. I had been through 4 pregnancies in 6 years and hadn’t bothered really working out for that entire time. Sure I’d get on a kick for a few months and start working out say once or twice a week but I never stuck with it. I had every excuse in the book. But this time was different. I knew it was time. It was time for me to stop feeling guilty for the time it was going to take to exercise and it was time to stop believing the lies I kept telling myself over and over. It was TIME to start taking care of the body that God gave me so that I was better able to care for my family and to serve Him! I had to set small goals for myself at first in order for me to stay motivated. I just kept telling myself…”Just give it 30 days!!” I decided that if I didn’t see or feel different I was done but guess what??? I DID see change and I felt change! That was SO motivating to keep going. My friends were and still are awesome supporters and encouragers.

I’m almost 7 months into my journey of changing for God and I feel SO good! I enjoy doing Jillian Michaels DVDs and I throw in a Bob Harper hour long work out at least once or twice a week. To God be the Glory!!

For those of you working out and thinking you can’t stick with it while pregnant – think again! There are some great workouts out there to keep you fit, flexible and feeling great. My favorite one was “The Perfect Pregnancy Workout” – great for after the first trimester when working out gets a little tricky!http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Pregnancy-Workout-vol/dp/B000BLKJ5E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1310703798&sr=8-2
Leslie Sansone has some great beginner walking DVDs and the Biggest Loser videos can get you started and well on your way to moving that body even 15-20 minutes a day! 🙂 Remember set a goal – 15 minutes is more than 0! 🙂

I’m with Stephanie in that I love the morning run….I also like to hike and bike with my kiddos – and we snowshoe in the winter. In other words I much prefer to be outdoors while working out, the extra vitamin D (filtered out by sunscreen no doubt) seems to have impacted our immune systems for the better too as we’ve hardly been sick the past couple of years (save for the occasional small cold)